Madan Tamang murder case: The Calcutta High Court had on July 19 directed the CBI to bring Gurung and 21 other accused in the Gorkhaland agitation to the city sessions court on July 24 for trial in the murder case of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League leader Tamang.

Amid the ongoing Gorkhaland agitation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday sought an arrest warrant against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung and 21 others for being absent during the hearing in the 2010 Madan Tamang murder case, according to news agency PTI.

The Calcutta High Court had on July 19 directed the CBI to bring Gurung and other accused to the city sessions court on July 24 for trial in the murder case of Tamang. Gurung, who is spearheading the agitation for a separate state, is underground in the Hills.

The division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty had also directed that hearing on framing of charges in the murder case be completed in the city sessions court by August 17. The bench also wondered whether the hearing on framing of charges could be completed in the absence of the accused.

All the 22 accused are out on anticipatory bail and as condition of bail, they were required to stay within the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police until the trial was completed.

The 62-year-old Madan Tamang was stabbed to death in full public view in Darjeeling in May 2010. President of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League, Tamang was seen as a moderate face of the Gorkhaland agitation.